Nam Il

North Korean army officer (1915–1976)

In this Korean name, the family name is  Nam.

Nam Il

Nam Il waiting to depart from the Korean War Armistice Negotiations site at Kaesong, Korea. August 1, 1951.

Vice Premier of the Cabinet
In office
20 September 1957 – 7 March 1976

Serving with

16 other officeholders

* Kim Il
* Hong Myong-hui
* Chong Il-yong
* Pak Ui-wan
* Chong Chun-taek
* Yi Chu-yon
* Ri Jong-ok
* Kim Kwang-hyop
* Kim Chang-man
* Choe Yong-jin
* Ko Hyok
* Pak Song-chol
* Kim Chang-bong
* Kim Man-gum
* Choe Chae-u
* Hong Won-gil

Premier| Kim Il
Kim Il Sung
Chairman of the Light Industry Commission
In office
26 December 1972 – 7 March 1976
Premier| Kim Il
Preceded by| Post established
Succeeded by| Ho Sun
Chairman of the State Construction Commission
In office
August 1960 – December 1962
Premier| Kim Il Sung
Preceded by| Kim Ung-sang
Succeeded by| Kim Tu-sam
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
3 March 1953 – 23 October 1959
Premier| Kim Il Sung
Preceded by| Pak Hon-yong
Succeeded by| Pak Song-chol
Personal details
Born|

Yakov Petrovich Nam

5 June 1915
Golubovka, Primorskaya Oblast, Russian Empire[1]
Died| 7 March 1976(1976-03-07) (aged 60)
Pyongyang, North Korea
Resting place| Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery, North Korea
Relations| Nam Jong-son
Military service
Allegiance|  North Korea
Soviet Union
Branch/service|  Korean People's Army
Soviet Army
Years of service| 1948–1976
1940s
Rank|  General
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl|

Hancha|

Revised Romanization| Nam Il
McCune–Reischauer| Nam Il

Nam Il (5 June 1915 – 7 March 1976) was a Russian-born North Korean military officer and co-signer of the Korean Armistice Agreement.[2]

## Biography

[edit]

Nam was born Yakov Petrovich Nam (Russian: Яков Петрович Нам) probably in the Russian Far East.[3] Due to a Soviet policy, Nam's family, like many Koreans in Russia's Far East, were moved to Central Asia. He was educated at Smolensk Military School and in Tashkent. Nam achieved his final rank of captain as an Assistant to the Division Chief of Staff of a Soviet Army division during World War II. He took part in some of the greatest battles, including Stalingrad and the Battle of Berlin.[4]

When not serving in the military, he worked in the education sector. In 1946, he was sent to Soviet occupied North Korea, as a member of a contingent of ethnic Korean former Soviet military officers to assist Kim Il Sung, leaving behind a wife and daughter in Soviet Union.[3] After the Korean war broke out in 1950 he was appointed Chief of Staff, replacing Kang Kon who had been killed in action. In 1953, Nam became a General of the Army (대장, three-star rank at the time).[3] When the Korean War reached a stalemate in July 1951, Nam served as the Communists' chief delegate at the armistice talks.[5] He was famous for using an amber cigarette holder.[6]

After the war, Nam Il served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the North Korean government. Along with another Soviet Korean Pak Chong-ae, he worked to help Kim Il Sung break free from Soviet influence. In 1957, he was promoted and became one of several deputy Prime Ministers.[3] Nam, along with Pang Hak-se (the founder of the DPRK secret police), was one of only a few prominent Soviet Koreans who survived the purges of the 1950s.[3]

On 7 March 1976, it was announced that he had died when his car was crushed by a truck. Many suspected that this was not an accident, and some blamed Kim Jong Il, who by that time was not powerful enough to simply order that Nam be killed. Others said that it was done by Kim Il Sung.[3][7] Nam Il's son, who lived in the Soviet Union, visited North Korea and attempted to investigate, but Pang Hak-se told him to go home and stop interfering in affairs which did not concern him.[3]

Nam was awarded a state funeral and was buried in Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery.[8][7] Unlike some of his colleagues who were purged, Nam continues to appear in historical photographs.[3]

## Awards

[edit]

* Order of Polonia Restituta, 2nd Class[9]

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Tertitskiy, Fyodor (June 14, 2024). The Forgotten Political Elites of North Korea: Woe to the Vanquished. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge. p. 114\. ISBN 9781032745473.
2. ^ "Transcript of Armistice Agreement for the Restoration of the South Korean State (1953)". US National Archives. July 27, 1953. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Tertitskiy, Fyodor (19 July 2018). "Why do so many North Korean officials die in car crashes?". NK News.
4. ^ Jager 2013, p. 195.
5. ^ Futrell, p. 372.
6. ^ Wilfred Burchett, Memoirs of a Rebel Journalist : The Autobiography of Wilfred Burchett (2005), edited by Nick Shimmin and George Burchett, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, New South Wales. ISBN 0-86840-842-5, p 385.
7. ^ a b Bluth, Christoph (2008). Korea. Cambridge: Polity Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-07456-3357-2.
8. ^ "Old Age, 'Unexpected Accidents' Lead to Reshuffle of North Korean Advisers". Amarillo Globe Times. UPI. 31 May 1976. p. 39\. OCLC 13830894. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
9. ^ "Poland decorates Kim Il-sung". Hsinhua News Agency Release. Beijing: Hsinhua News Agency. 6 July 1956. p. 58.

## References

[edit]

* Tertitskiy, Fyodor (June 14, 2024). "Nam Il: The general who signed the Korean War Armistice". The Forgotten Political Elites of North Korea: Woe to the Vanquished. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge. pp. 145–159. ISBN 9781032745473.

### Further reading

[edit]

* Futrell, Robert F. (1961).The United States Air Force in Korea 1950-1953. Air Force History and Museums Program year 2000 reprint of original Duel, Sloan and Pearce edition. ISBNs 0160488796, 978–0160488795.
* Jager, Sheila Miyoshi (2013). Brothers at War – The Unending Conflict in Korea. London: Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84668-067-0.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Nam Il at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices

Preceded by

Pak Hon-yong

|  Foreign Minister of North Korea (DPRK)
April 1953 – October 1959  | Succeeded by

Pak Song-chol

Military offices
Preceded by

Kang Kon

|  Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army
September 1950 – August 1953  | Succeeded by

Kim Kwang-hyop

* v
* t
* e

Commanders of the Korean People's Army

Commanders-in-Chief|

* Choe Yong-gon (1948–50)
* Kim Il Sung (1950–91)
* Kim Jong Il (1991–2011)
* Kim Jong Un (2011–present)

Ministry of Defence|

* Choe Yong-gon (1948–57)
* Kim Kwang-hyop (1957–62)
* Kim Chang-bong (1962–68)
* Choe Hyon (1968–76)
* O Jin-u (1976–95)
* Choe Kwang (1995–97)
* Kim Il-chol (1997–2009)
* Kim Yong-chun (2009–12)
* Kim Jong-gak (2012)
* Kim Kyok-sik (2012–13)
* Jang Jong-nam (2013–14)
* Hyon Yong-chol (2014–15)
* Unknown (2015)
* Pak Yong-sik (2015–18)
* No Kwang-chol (2018–19)
* Kim Jong-gwan (2019–21)
* Ri Yong-gil (2021–22)
* Kang Sun-nam (2022–24)
* No Kwang-chol (2024–present)

Chiefs of the General Staff|

* Kang Kon (1948–50)
* Nam Il (1950–53)
* Kim Kwang-hyop (1953–57)
* Lee Kwon-mu (1957–59)
* Kim Chang-bong (1959–62)
* Choe Kwang (1962–68)
* O Jin-u (1968–79)
* O Kuk-ryol (1979–88)
* Choe Kwang (1988–95)
* Kim Yong-chun (1995–2007)
* Kim Kyok-sik (2007–09)
* Ri Yong-ho (2009–12)
* Hyon Yong-chol (2012–13)
* Kim Kyok-sik (2013)
* Ri Yong-gil (2013–16)
* Ri Myong-su (2016–18)
* Ri Yong-gil (2018–19)
* Pak Jong-chon (2019–21)
* Rim Kwang-il (2021–22)
* Ri Thae-sop (2022)
* Park Su-il (2022–23)
* Ri Yong-gil (2023–present)

Italics indicate interim officeholder

* v
* t
* e

Foreign Ministers of North Korea

* Pak Hon-yong
* Nam Il
* Park Sung-chul
* Ho Dam
* Kim Yong-nam
* Paek Nam-sun
* Kang Sok-ju (acting)
* Pak Ui-chun
* Ri Su-yong
* Ri Yong-ho
* Ri Son-gwon
* Choe Son-hui

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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template